Re: Any Midwesterners housing their torts outdoors? Yep!...(more)...

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Posted by m chambers on August 01, 2000 at 09:49:43:

In Reply to: Any Midwesterners housing their torts outdoors? posted by Tammy on July 31, 2000 at 23:32:55:

We live 60 miles south of K.C. MO. and keep sulcata, leopards and redfoots outdoors from may to oct.. These are kept in several 8ft by 8ft enclosers made from landscaping ties. (not railroad ties) We bury them app. 4in. in the ground and never had a tortoise dig through. Un fortunately some of ours "pens" are in full sunlight but we cover the corners with small boards that gives the reptiles shade. The smallest tortoises we keep out in the enclosers during that time period is 6 inches while the breeders and bigger ones have never been botherd by preditors. We found out the hard way preditors do in fact take off with anything under 6 inches ( coyotes, racoons, foxes, even dogs). We keep small ones in kiddie swimming pools and transfer them in one of the large rubbermaid containers back indoors at night. We also keep smaller ones in these containers when we leave for any time period making use of a clamp on light for heat and UV. Since we raise parrots as well we grow a lot of grasses with parrot seed that is accidently thrown out when we dump the seed cups.
Since we live in the boonies we don't have the problem with theft but it would deffintly be a consideration if you live in a populated area. We know a renown tortoise breeder that just keeps all his big ones outdoors in a chian linkes fence area and never has had a problem. You know a lot of the big breeders in Florida keep certain species out doors year round with just a walk-into-heated encloser. The most problems they have is tortoises digging out with the soil situation. We have never had a tortoise dig under or out of our enclosers.

Mike Chambers

: I'm considering housing my torts outdoors part of the time during the nicer midwestern times of year. I was wondering if any of you are in the midwest and have outdoor habitats? I'm in the Chicagoland area. The torts would come indoors in the evening. What kind of habitat do you have? How do you keep it preditor-free?

Follow Ups:

Re: Any Midwesterners housing their torts outdoors? Yep!...(more)... sonja 08/02/00 (0)
Re: Any Midwesterners housing their torts outdoors? Yep!...(more)... ssp. 08/01/00 (2)
- ssp, who are you. do we know each other? ...... m chambers 08/02/00 (1)
  - Re: ssp, who are you. do we know each other? ...... ssp. 08/02/00 (0)

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: We live 60 miles south of K.C. MO. and keep sulcata, leopards and redfoots outdoors from may to oct.. These are kept in several 8ft by 8ft enclosers made from landscaping ties. (not railroad ties) We bury them app. 4in. in the ground and never had a tortoise dig through. Un fortunately some of ours "pens" are in full sunlight but we cover the corners with small boards that gives the reptiles shade. The smallest tortoises we keep out in the enclosers during that time period is 6 inches while the breeders and bigger ones have never been botherd by preditors. We found out the hard way preditors do in fact take off with anything under 6 inches ( coyotes, racoons, foxes, even dogs). We keep small ones in kiddie swimming pools and transfer them in one of the large rubbermaid containers back indoors at night. We also keep smaller ones in these containers when we leave for any time period making use of a clamp on light for heat and UV. Since we raise parrots as well we grow a lot of grasses with parrot seed that is accidently thrown out when we dump the seed cups. : Since we live in the boonies we don't have the problem with theft but it would deffintly be a consideration if you live in a populated area. We know a renown tortoise breeder that just keeps all his big ones outdoors in a chian linkes fence area and never has had a problem. You know a lot of the big breeders in Florida keep certain species out doors year round with just a walk-into-heated encloser. The most problems they have is tortoises digging out with the soil situation. We have never had a tortoise dig under or out of our enclosers. : Mike Chambers : : : I'm considering housing my torts outdoors part of the time during the nicer midwestern times of year. I was wondering if any of you are in the midwest and have outdoor habitats? I'm in the Chicagoland area. The torts would come indoors in the evening. What kind of habitat do you have? How do you keep it preditor-free?

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